


Hanukkah Sameach

by transmarkcohen



Series: Jewish Holidays [1]
Category: Rent - Larson
Genre: F/F, Gay, Hanukkah, Jewish, Judaism, Lesbian, can't wait to make some latkes and sufganiyot, happy holidays, i love hanukkah
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:02:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28000602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/transmarkcohen/pseuds/transmarkcohen
Summary: Joanne doesn't know much about Judaism yet, but she's converting and her girlfriend, who is Jewish, will help her. They start on Hanukkah.
Relationships: Joanne Jefferson/Maureen Johnson
Series: Jewish Holidays [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2073855
Comments: 18
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [anothergayrentfan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anothergayrentfan/gifts).



> This is a Hanukkah gift for my friend Alyssa. They love RENT and they are a lesbian, so I'm writing this for them, and as I have a tradition now of writing something every Hanukkah. (I didn't publish my work here last year.) Happy Hanukkah to all!

Maureen heard the doorbell ring and went to answer it. Standing there was her girlfriend, a nervous-looking Joanne holding a box from Leah's Pastries just down the street. "Baby!" Maureen grinned, hugging Joanne and kissing her. "Come in, you'll get cold." She pulled Joanne in and Joanne took off her scarf, setting it on a chair as she set the box on the table. 

"I know it hasn't been that long…" Joanne began. "But I just...had to come over and see you. I remembered it was Hanukkah and that you celebrate it." 

"You, too, now!" Maureen said cheerfully as she heated up a pot of tea. "We're working on your conversion, remember?" 

Joanne nodded. "And we can get Mark to help?" 

Maureen laughed. " _Mark? Help?_ Oh, honey...he may be Jewish, but he's no rabbi." Maureen looked back at Joanne and grinned wider. "You get my pun? Because rabbi means teacher-"

"I get it, Maureen." Joanne smiled softly. Maureen came over to the table and gave her girlfriend the tea, which Joanne sipped gratefully. 

"So what did you get?" Maureen asked, lifting the lid to the box. "Ooooh, _sufganiyot!_ Joanne!" Maureen passionately kissed her girlfriend, grabbing her face as she did so. Joanne laughed, gently pushing Maureen off her. 

"What...are they?" she asked. "Mark doesn't answer the phone. He told me they were your favorites, though." 

Maureen grabbed one, holding it up to Joanne. "Try it," she said. "You will taste heaven." 

"O...kay?" Joanne took the round dough-y thing that was covered in powdered sugar and bit into it. 

…

_Holy fuck._

Joanne looked at Maureen in amazement. "How have I gone my whole life without eating these?!" she exclaimed, quickly shoveling the rest of her sufganiyah in her mouth and grabbing another one from the box. 

Maureen laughed. She was glad Joanne could relax around her. It was something she did so rarely, always so preoccupied in proving herself. Maureen gently kissed her girlfriend's cheek. 

"I love you," she said softly.

Joanne stared at Maureen. "I...love you too," she answered. 

It wasn't the first time they had said it, but it was the first time Maureen had said it with such sincerity. She was trying. Joanne knew it. She really was trying. 

"Come," Maureen said, taking Joanne's hands and leading her to the window, where her menorah was stored. It was wooden, with the star of David carved into it. Tiny gold pedestals for the candles sat on it. Maureen pulled out two blue candles, placing one as the shammash candle, and the other at the end. She lit the shammash with a match and then used it to light the end candle. Turning the lights off, she told Joanne, "Now you have to learn the blessings. The first...Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tsivanu l'hadlik ner shel Hanukkah. And then…"

Joanne leaned her head against Maureen's shoulder, listening to her voice as they watched the falling snow outside, illuminated only by the Hanukkah candles. 

This was love. 


	2. A Latke Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2! I decided to write for every night of Hanukkah this year :)   
> And I think I will make it a series of Maureen teaching Joanne the Jewish holidays!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) yes i came up with that pun  
> 2) no i am not ashamed of it  
> 3) tonight i AM making latkes with fresh potatoes

Joanne had stayed at Maureen’s the night before and now the sun had already set again. Joanne, not having to work, was still in her pajamas - she hadn’t dressed all day. 

She sipped more of the tea Maureen had made as she settled into her girlfriend’s armchair. Maureen was rummaging around in her pantry for something. 

“So...how’d you get this apartment?”

Joanne spoke up, looking around. 

Maureen looked back at her. “Oh, when I dumped Mark, I didn’t want to live with him anymore, so I went to Alison and she set me up with the place.” Maureen shrugged. “I’m really grateful you’ve helped me pay for it. I’m surprised you didn’t know how I got it.” 

Joanne sipped her tea more slowly. “I...was just giving you what you asked for.”

Maureen’s gaze fell to the floor.

She turned swiftly back to the pantry. “Well! I know I’ve been...demanding in the past, but enough of that! I love you and it’s time to show you!” She grabbed a box from the pantry. “Latke mix!” 

“...what?” Joanne stared at Maureen, perplexed.

Maureen grinned and walked over. “Latkes! My mom would always make them for us. It was her way of showing love for us, since she didn’t say it a lot. So, I want you to help me make some, so I can show you I love you. And to help you with becoming Jewish.” Maureen kissed Joanne, gripping the box tightly. 

Joanne smiled and stood up. “Alright.” She set her tea on the coffee table as she walked over to Maureen in the kitchen. Maureen pulled out a skillet and set it on the bottom right burner of her stove. 

“My mom would say using a mix is sacrilegious, but you know, being an artist doesn’t get you fresh potatoes.” Maureen shrugged and then frowned. “Is that a saying? It should be a saying.”

“Should it?” Joanne wrapped her arms around Maureen, kissing her cheek. Maureen laughed.

“Alright. First…” Maureen looked at the directions on the box. “Let’s get some matzo meal. To bind the latkes together.”

Joanne nodded and obediently got it.

Maureen went through the steps of baking the latkes, and Joanne felt like she learned a lot (plus, she got to kiss Maureen - always a bonus.) Finally the sizzling potato treats were ready and Maureen flipped them with the spatula onto the plate. “Here,” she said softly, serving them to Joanne.

Joanne stabbed a latke (gently) with her fork and took a bite out of it. “Mmmm,” she said, giving a thumbs up to Maureen. 

Maureen grinned. “You like them?” 

Joanne nodded enthusiastically. 

Maureen kissed her once more and whispered, “.אני אוהב אותך”


	3. Joanne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maureen teaches Joanne Hebrew. (Or, rather, attempts to.)

Joanne woke up just before the sun, next to Maureen in her bed. The sheets were soft. Maureen was snoring. Joanne reached over and placed a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder. This was the woman she loved more than life itself. 

Maureen stirred and smiled sleepily at Joanne. "Hey, baby," she said. "You're still here." 

"Of course I am." Joanne kissed Maureen. There was something so special about this kind of morning, with room to be herself. To be Maureen's girlfriend. 

A while later they had gotten dressed and were sitting in the living room. They were silent, but it was the nice kind of silence where they enjoyed each other's presence. 

“What do you want to do today?” Maureen asked, breaking the silence. 

“I...need to focus more on conversion,” Joanne said as she stared up at the ceiling. 

Maureen sat up and clapped. “Oh, yes! C’mon, get dressed. I can help you.”

A while later, Maureen and Joanne were sitting at the breakfast table, both dressed. Maureen had grabbed some printer paper and pencils. Maureen had started drawing a series of letters on the paper, coloring them in with the pencils into big, blocky things. Joanne stared at them, mesmerized. There was something about the way Maureen wrote that was so...tantalizing. Especially these letters. Hebrew, Joanne remembered. Right. That was the language of Judaism. Even though there were other languages that Jewish people spoke - Yiddish, Ladino - 

"Joanne!" Joanne was brought back to attention by Maureen saying her name somewhat sharply. 

"I-yeah?" Joanne said. "What?" 

"Here," Maureen slid a piece of paper over to her girlfriend, then showed her one of the large letters she'd written. It looked like an  _ X  _ to Joanne. "Your turn. This is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It's called aleph." 

"Alright…" Joanne said, picking up a pencil, putting it to the paper and drawing slowly, gently. She wanted it to be perfect. Everything she did...she had to be perfect at. 

Maureen laughed at her precision. "Joanne, it's okay if you mess up a little," she said. 

Joanne took a deep breath. "No," she said. "I mean-okay, if you say so, Maureen." She drew a little quicker, still trying not to make a mistake, but not so worried about if she did. Maureen was okay with it. Maureen loved her. 

Soon, Joanne showed her finished project to Maureen, who grinned. She clapped again. "Good job! I could write that when I was five." She took Joanne's paper and put it to the side. "Next...bet." She pointed with a manicured fingernail to the next letter Joanne was supposed to write. 

Joanne sighed. "Alright, Maureen," she said out loud. Under her breath, she said, "I'd do anything for you."

Maureen smiled, but didn't tell Joanne she had heard her. 

"I would have never thought I'd convert to Judaism someday," Joanne commented. "I grew up in a Protestant family. You know, church every Sunday, gifts at Epiphany, Easter baskets and everything." 

"Really?" Maureen replied. "That strict?" 

Joanne laughed. "That's not strict." She finished bet, put it with aleph, and moved on to gimel. 

"Ah. I don't know a lot about Christianity." 

"I'd teach you, but I'm busy learning how to become Jewish," Joanne smiled. Maureen laughed at that. 

"Your handwriting needs some work," Maureen said some time later, observing Joanne's letters. 

"I know," Joanne sighed. She put the letters in a stack together, straightening them out by shaking them on the table. She kissed Maureen. "I love you." 

Maureen grinned. "I love you, too," she answered. "And your bad Hebrew handwriting." 

"Hey!" Joanne laughed. Maureen kissed her again, smiling. 


	4. Family

Joanne stood next to Maureen outside the apartment, rocking back and forth on her heels. They had come over to Mark and Roger's place for dinner. It was the fourth night of Hanukkah. 

In her hands Maureen held a covered dish of latkes. She knew that they were Mark's favorite Hanukkah dish.

He opened the door soon and grinned. "Maureen!" he said. "Oh, and Joanne! Hi, come in!" He kicked something behind the door as the two women walked in. "Sorry about that mess. Roger and I haven't cleaned in a while." 

"Clearly," Joanne muttered under her breath. Maureen gently patted her arm, telling her discreetly that she shouldn't insult their hosts. 

"I brought your favorite," Maureen said, setting the casserole dish of latkes on the coffee table. 

"Oh, nice. You can put those in the fridge," said Mark, who'd begun setting the actual dining room table for dinner. "The table's new. I don't know _what_ Angel does, but it apparently pays for a lot of stuff." 

"Where's Roger?" Maureen said, heading over to the table but not moving over her latkes. She made herself comfortable, putting her feet up on the nice wooden table. 

Joanne put the latkes in the fridge and glared at Maureen until she'd put her feet down. Maureen rolled her eyes at her girlfriend. 

"In his room," Mark shrugged as he served the food. "Don't worry, he'll come. He's just been writing sappy poetry to Mimi all day." This time, Mark rolled his eyes. 

As if on cue, Roger came into the room, grinning, holding a piece of paper to his chest. He sat next to Joanne (who had sat next to Maureen) and quickly wrote more on the paper. 

"Aren't you going to eat?" Mark asked his roommate. 

"Yeah, yeah…" Roger sighed. "I just have to make sure it's perfect for her. I definitely can't get Mimi a super nice gift, much less eight gifts, so what I do get her has to be...really good." 

"Wait, eight?" Joanne stopped Roger, confused. "You're Jewish too?" 

Mark and Roger looked at each other and laughed. 

"Yeah, how did you not know that?" asked Roger. "Oh, Mark, the menorah-" 

"Right!" Mark grabbed a lighter and lit the five candles, saying the blessings as he did so. He put the lighter on the table that Angel had bought and sat back down.

"It's all so new to me," Joanne said, mesmerized watching Mark light the candles. "This is good. I can always use more Jewish friends since I'm converting." 

Maureen kissed her. Joanne turned to her girlfriend, surprised, but not unpleasantly. Maureen smirked. "I just wanted to," she said, answering the _why?_ in Joanne's face. 

"You two _are_ really good together," Mark said, observing the two, as Roger had gone back to writing. Joanne noticed there was something sad in his face, but it was gone before she could say anything. "I'm happy." 

"Awesome." Maureen smiled. "Happy Hanukkah, Mark." 

"Yeah, you, too." 


	5. Mark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joanne and Maureen get snowed in at the loft.

"Are you guys all set up?" Mark called through Roger's bedroom door. A snowstorm had hit after dinner, forcing Maureen and Joanne to stay at the loft. Roger decided to go down to Mimi's, giving Maureen and Joanne his bedroom. Joanne noticed most of Roger's "cleaning" was just shoving his clothes to the side on the floor. Or in the closet. Joanne didn't think about the closets. Especially not the hallway one. 

"Yeah!" Maureen said back, opening the door. Mark stood there, holding a couple blankets. 

"Here. I thought you might need more. Roger doesn't like to sleep with a blanket, but it's really cold out." 

"Thanks, Mark," Joanne said, gesturing for him to place the blankets on the bed. He did. 

"Do you need anything else?" Mark asked, mainly looking at Joanne. What had happened a few hours ago….

_ The snowstorm had just hit and the four of them were trying to figure out what to do. "Well, I'm not sleeping with Mark again," Maureen argued. She paused, realizing what her words sounded like. "Not in that way! Jeez."  _

Joanne had laughed it off but clearly Mark was just awkward enough to still be thinking about it a few hours later. "Where's your bathroom again?" she asked, though she knew and dreaded the answer. 

Mark pointed at the hallway closet. "There." He cleared his throat. "The lightbulb doesn't really work anymore, so just...be careful where you step."

"Right!" Joanne nodded, making a mental note not to drink any water for a while.  
"I'll, uh...go then. Unless you guys need anything else?" Mark looked at Maureen and Joanne worriedly. 

"Nope, we're good!" Maureen said, undressing. Mark stared when she was naked.   
"Okay, go," Joanne said, closing the door on him. 

"Just call if you need anything!" he said, clearly desperate to help. Joanne heard his footsteps walk away towards his bedroom. 

Maureen hopped into bed, completely naked, and pulled one of the blankets on top of her. "Well? Aren't you going to get ready for bed?" she asked. 

"Do you really have to be naked?" Joanne replied, taking off her scarf and coat. She laid in the bed next to Maureen, still dressed.  _ Prudish,  _ Maureen thought. 

Maureen shrugged. "I don't have my pajamas here." 

"You don't have anything left here from when you dated Mark?" 

"Well, maybe some condoms and sex toys-" 

"Okay, forget I asked!" Joanne threw the blanket over her head. She could hear Maureen laughing. 

"Alright. Good night, Joanne." Maureen shifted until she was right next to Joanne, wrapping her arms around her. "I love you." She kissed Joanne's cheek. 

"Love you, too, Maureen." 

"We can ask Mark if we need something."  
"Yes, Maureen."

"Oh! We can plan with him for tomorrow's Hanukkah celebration-"

"Go to  _ sleep,  _ Maureen."

"Okay, okay. Happy Hanukkah, Joanne. I will love you for eternity."


	6. Exploding Showers and Holidays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maureen and Joanne get snowed in at the loft, part 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok SO  
> 1) this takes place on night four and the morning of day five of Hanukkah, despite real life being night six  
> 2) this has become much more serial than the episodic I intended (at least the past three chapters) but I hope y'all like that

Joanne had woken up in the middle of the night. Perhaps because of Maureen's snoring. Perhaps because of being in a strange place. But she had woken up, and Maureen was still naked, asleep in bed. Joanne sighed as she crawled back into Roger's bed, having gone to the kitchen for a midnight snack. Oddly enough Mark and Roger had five boxes of Captain Crunch. Joanne didn't understand. Was that even kosher? 

The sound of Maureen stirring drew Joanne out of her thoughts. Maureen smiled sleepily up at her. "Hi, pookie," she said. 

Joanne rolled her eyes. "Maureen-" she started. 

"Right, right, I know." Maureen threw the blanket off. "I'm freezing my dick off in here." 

"Maybe keep the blanket on then…?" Joanne muttered, watching Maureen. 

"No. I'm gonna ask Mark for more blankets." Maureen hopped out of bed, stole slippers that Roger apparently owned, and walked to Mark's room. 

"Maureen, he's fast asleep by now-" 

"Mark!" Maureen shouted, knocking on his door. Joanne followed her, trying to make sure nothing happened. No. She wasn't worried about Maureen cheating now. She just didn't want Maureen bugging Mark this late. Joanne nodded to herself, as if to affirm it. She was getting better at trusting Maureen. But it was taking time. 

Mark eventually flung the door open, bleary-eyed. He only wore an oversized T-shirt. Joanne wondered if any of her friends actually got cold.  _ Maybe it's just my iron deficiency,  _ she thought to herself.  _ But we are in a snowstorm, so what the fuck?  _ Well, she knew how Mimi and Roger were keeping warm. She'd heard enough creaking coming from downstairs earlier. Anyway, the snow had appeared to die down, and Maureen was only coming to Mark's room because she was cold. 

"What is it?" Mark asked, not quite awake. "Maureen, why are you still naked? Also don't steal Roger's clothes." 

"Can't be naked if I have slippers on," Maureen argued. "And because I want to. Do you have extra blankets?" 

Mark nodded, walking to a corner of his room to grab some. Joanne noticed there was a desk with a mountain of paper on it. His camera sat next to the paper, the lens almost glowing in the dark. Did he forget to put the lens cap back on? 

"Here," Mark said, coming back and handing the blankets to Maureen and Joanne. "Anything else before I can go back to sleep?" 

Joanne shook her head. 

"Yeah, we're good," Maureen said, still not dressing. "I'll just use Roger's pajamas if I get colder."

"Maureen!" Mark protested as she walked back with Joanne to Roger's room. Joanne shut the door as Maureen threw the blankets onto their bed. She could hear Mark closing his door and sighing. Joanne laughed to herself at that. She understood. 

Maureen grabbed one of Roger's shirts and threw it on, sliding under about six blankets. She sighed. "There, that's better," she said. 

"Good," said Joanne, wondering if Maureen always took her friends' clothes. "I don't want to bother him anymore tonight." She climbed back into bed next to Maureen. 

"You know, Mark and I almost had children," Maureen said, but Joanne was too busy drifting off to sleep to really hear her. Maureen's voice sounded distant and the bed seemed like the most comfortable thing in the world…

The next morning, Joanne woke up alone. She could hear Maureen and Mark talking in the living/dining room/kitchen. Their voices drifted down the hall to her and she could just barely make out what they were saying. 

"...five months ago…"

"...before I met Joanne…"

"...you're still naked…"

Joanne flung the blankets off of herself and walked to the living area. She wasn't going to steal any of Roger's clothes. Maureen grinned and ran up to her when she came out, kissing her. "Hi, baby!" she said, holding a cup of coffee. She was still wearing the shirt, so not completely naked. She took a sip of her coffee and immediately spit it out. "Ew, gross, Mark, where does the water come from for this?" 

Mark sighed, poking at his breakfast. "The plumbing's shit. Take a guess." 

Maureen poured the rest of the coffee out in the sink. 

"The  _ shower,"  _ Mark clarified, watching her. 

"That's worse. People have sex in there." 

"People have sex in Roger's bed and you didn't mind sleeping there." 

"Well, I slept with him once! I don't mind  _ that."  _

"You slept with Roger?" Joanne asked Maureen incredulously, pulling out a chair next to Mark.

Maureen waved the question away, pouring herself a giant bowl of Captain Crunch. "Yeah, yeah, a long time ago, I mean, who hasn't?' 

Joanne looked at Mark. He suddenly seemed very interested in his eggs. 

"That includes Mark," Maureen said, coming to sit next to Joanne. Mark glared at her.

"Oh, come off it, Mark, who doesn't want to sleep with a rockstar?" 

"Maureen," Joanne sighed again. "It's a holiday. Be nice."   
" _Fine,"_ Maureen said, stabbing a piece of cereal with her spoon. She glanced out the window. "You think the snow's died down enough for us to get home?" 

"Maybe if you take the metro," Mark spoke up. "I have a couple extra passes lying around for emergencies. My mom sent them in case I wanted to visit, but...I don't feel like going back there." He shrugged. 

"Thank you," Joanne told him. She smiled at him, sincere gratitude in her voice and in her face. He smiled back a little.

"Hey, Mark, you should see Joanne's bad Hebrew handwriting," Maureen told her ex-boyfriend. 

"I'm sure it's not that bad," Mark replied. "You took years to get past A1 anyway, Maureen, are you really in the place to tease her?" he grinned, slightly giggling. Joanne found that adorable. 

"Oh, shut up." Maureen threw a napkin at him, which he caught. Joanne watched them. They apparently interacted well when they were friends. She wondered if their relationship had been like this. If what she'd heard from Mark was true...then definitely not.

Eventually they finished breakfast and Joanne and Maureen put their dishes in the sink, leaving them for Mark to wash. He sighed. Roger still hadn't come back from Mimi's. At least by now Maureen had gotten dressed. She and Joanne were putting their coats and scarves back on. 

"Well, thanks for hosting us, Mark," Joanne said. Mark nodded, running the sink's water carefully. He watched the shower - hopefully it wouldn't explode. Or anything like that. "Er... _ toda?"  _

" _ Bevaqasha,"  _ he answered automatically. 

Joanne smiled. "You know, we have to meet some time and talk about Judaism," she said to him. "You could help me with my conversion! Maureen's been helping, but, well, you heard her insulting my Hebrew writing at breakfast."

"Hey!" Maureen protested. 

Mark turned to Joanne, smiling, not listening to Maureen. "I think that'd be great," he said. 

"You have your card, pookie?" Maureen asked, grabbing Joanne's arm. 

"Yeah," Joanne said. "Alright, let's go. Bye, Mark." 

They walked outside and Joanne could just barely hear Mark calling goodbye back to them. She smiled. Her conversion to Judaism was becoming better than she'd ever imagined. 


	7. Dreidel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all I'm so excited for the finale  
> I have big plans for it

Joanne was back at Maureen's two days later, on the seventh night of Hanukkah. She had gotten up from reading a book to light the menorah. 

Maureen watched her girlfriend. 

"...melekh...l'hadlik...Chanukah…" Joanne finished the blessing as she lit it. Maureen smiled, hugging her girlfriend. 

"You're doing so well," Maureen said. "I'm so proud of you." 

"Really?" Joanne grinned, turning back to Maureen and kissing her. 

"Careful with the lighter!" 

"Sorry, sorry." Joanne turned the lighter off and put it down next to the box of matches. 

"One more night," Maureen said softly, watching the candles. 

"I know." Joanne followed Maureen back to her chairs in the living room. Maureen's living room was quite spacious, and Joanne found herself wondering how much Alison had been willing to pay...and why for Maureen, who was one of the most Bohemian and anti-selling out of all of them.

"It has been a good holiday, hasn't it?" Joanne asked her girlfriend.

"One of the best." Maureen absentmindedly picked up a dreidel off her coffee table and spun it. It landed on  _ gimel.  _ "...and we'll take everything from the pot." She smiled, one of the most sincere Joanne had seen. 

"Everything?" Joanne questioned.

"Do you know how to play?" Maureen set up the game as she was speaking, putting gelt on the table. Chocolate coins wrapped in gold plastic. Joanne had only ever eaten them on St. Patrick's Day.

"Kind of…" Joanne said, watching Maureen sit across from her. She did not know how to play. But she didn't want to appear weak in front of her girlfriend. "I mean. No." She exhaled. This was  _ Maureen.  _ Joanne could be comfortable around her. 

"Okay. So...we have this dreidel." Maureen held it up. "On each of the four sides, it has a Hebrew letter -  _ nun, gimel, hay, or shin.  _ You spin it on your turn. What you do depends on the letter you land on. If it's nun - you do nothing. Gimel - you take the whole pot." She gestured to the chocolate coins. "Hay, take half the pot. Shin, put one in the pot." 

"Do we start with gelt?" Joanne asked. Good. She'd remembered the name.  
"Yes," Maureen said, nodding. She divided up the pot equally, between her, Joanne, and the middle of the table. She spun the wooden dreidel, the colored letters flashing - it wobbled, and toppled over to reveal a blue _shin_ on its top. "Oh, fuck." Maureen put a chocolate coin in the pile. 

Joanne laughed good-naturedly at that. "Alright, seems pretty easy," she replied, spinning the dreidel until it came to rest on a red  _ hay.  _ "Sweet!" She took half the pot, and Maureen stared woefully at it.

"I used to always win when I was a kid," Maureen said a few turns later, the game getting intense and no clear winner foreseen. "But I think I've met my match." She glanced at Joanne. 

"Sure," Joanne said, landing on _gimel._ "Oh yeah! I won!" She took all of the coins in the middle of the pile and smirked at Maureen. "Take _that,_ Johnson."  
Maureen shook her head and rolled her eyes, sighing. "I love you, Joanne," she said. "And no matter what happens tomorrow, I can't wait for our next Hanukkah together." 

Joanne grinned from ear to ear. 


	8. Maureen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The finale. It has been so great to write this, both as a Hanukkah gift to my friend, and a writing exercise and character study.   
> It will have a sequel.   
> Enjoy and happy last night of Hanukkah! :)

Finally, all seven of them were back together. Maureen had made sure of this, of course. She wanted everything to be perfect. 

So here they were in Central Park, in the snow, on the final night of Hanukkah. The eighth night. A lamplighter lit a lamp nearby and an ice sculptor finished a giant menorah. 

"Maureen, I'm freezing," Mimi said, bundled in half of Roger's clothes. She had already been wearing a jacket, as well as her boyfriend's shirt and pants, but he'd also given her his own jacket. "How are you not cold, Roger?" 

Roger shrugged. "Will Joanne be okay, though?" he asked. 

"Yes, yes," Maureen said, finishing the heart she'd made in the snow with her boots. "She has warm clothing, don't worry." 

Angel held on tight to Collins. "Oh, it's so  _ romantic,"  _ she said. She kissed Collins, who smiled. 

Mark sighed. "Sure." 

"Oh, come off it, Mark, we would never have gotten married," said Maureen. Mark winced. 

"Well, you don't have to  _ say  _ it out loud," he replied. He walked closer to Roger, looking hurt. "...Sorry. I'm happy for you and Joanne. Just, be nicer, Maureen, okay?" 

Maureen nodded, watching the entrance to the park anxiously. "I told her to be here at eight," she muttered to herself. "Eight nights, eight p.m. - she can't possibly forget symbolism like that!"    
"She'll be here, don't worry," Angel spoke up and Maureen looked back at her as she smiled. 

Soon, they heard footsteps. They turned to look. 

"Joanne!" Maureen broke into a run and nearly tackled her girlfriend, who was wearing the largest scarf possible. 

"Whoa! Hi, Maureen. What's this? Why here?" Joanne frowned. "What's with the ice menorah-whoa!" 

Maureen dragged her girlfriend into the heart. "Here. Stay." She got down on one knee, and pulled out a ring box. Joanne gasped. Maureen took a deep breath. 

"Joanne...I know it hasn't been that long. I know I haven't been the greatest girlfriend. That's true of my other relationships, too, even when I leave them." She glanced at Mark and mouthed ' _ sorry'.  _ He smiled at her, accepting the apology, and gestured for her to go on. She turned back to Joanne. "But, Joanne, you make me believe in true love. And this holiday, this Hanukkah, has taught me that more than anything. I meant it yesterday when I said I can't wait for our next Hanukkah. I can't wait for it...as a married couple. And the dreidel...gimel...I hoped that meant this would go successfully, that you would accept my proposal. That I would gain everything. Because you are everything to me, Joanne. So, will you marry me?" 

Tears rolled down Joanne's face and she couldn't stop grinning. "Yes!! Of course, yes!!" Maureen stood up, placed the ring on Joanne's finger, and they hugged and kissed. Their friends clapped, the noise almost deafening. They only stopped kissing when someone coughed at them to stop. Joanne broke away. "I love you, Maureen," she said. She looked at the gold band on her left finger. It was simple and sweet. 

"I love you too!!" Maureen kissed her again, then turned back to their friends, grinning. "She's my fiancée now!"    
Their friends cheered again, and Joanne couldn't help but stare at Maureen, the woman who would now become her wife. 


End file.
